What exactly is online health coaching?

Health coaching through TOHP offers you a real, live person to motivate you to meet your wellness goals.

Through telephone and email contact, your health coach will help you create a plan, set goals, and encourage you to meet them. Interactive tools will allow you to track your progress and find additional resources to achieve wellness.

Why online health coaching?

We all want to be healthy, but most of us need a little guidance. Health coaches are our personal assistants when it comes to wellness. Your health coach is never more than 24 hours away – 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Whether you have a question or if you’re feeling like you might slip on your path to wellness, your coach can help. Health coaches will listen to your circumstances and needs – they won’t just give you a one-size-fits-all answer.

Who can benefit from using online health coaching?

• People who seek motivation to achieve total wellness.
• People who aren’t sure what they need to do to get healthy.
• People who want to set healthy lifestyle goals for themselves.
• People who would utilize a fitness, exercise, or nutrition plan.
• People who have decided they are going to take the first steps toward a healthier life.

Many people find health coaches can hold them accountable for reaching goals. Online health coaching is proven to be two to three times more effective than content-only websites and just as effective as face-to-face coaching.

How is online health coaching different from other types of coaching, training, or counseling?

Unlike personal training or counseling, you control your health coaching sessions. Whether you are working toward general wellness or a more specific health-related issue, our focus is on enhancing quality of life, not on “fixing” a particular physical or emotional issue—although these issues may become goals.

Our coaches guide, motivate, provide customized resources, and help you to set achievable goals. They do not diagnose, prescribe, or give advice. Our coaches use their expertise to provide you with tools, not opinions.

Do individuals have to have a serious health issue to benefit from a health coach?

No. We know no two people are the same when it comes to their health. Health coaches help you assess your level of health and well-being and work on personalized issues. If you do need to modify your lifestyle due to an issue such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and/or musculoskeletal injuries, our trained experts can assist.

Who are the coaches?

Our coaches are high-level, seasoned professionals, experienced in behavioral change and in serving a wide range of health risks. Each of our coaches has a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a health-related field and three years of experience. And, 80 percent hold a graduate degree.

How many coaches will I work with?

You will have one personal coach who will remain with you throughout the entire coaching process.

How much time does coaching take?

The time you devote to coaching is entirely up to you. Communication between you and your coach will be as often as needed and determined individually. Communication can range from once a day to once a week or less. It can be through email, journal, or a combination or the two.

When can I expect to hear from my coach?

Within one day of registering, you’ll receive an email from your coach to begin your relationship.

What programs and tools are available through health coaching?

Your online portal offers you access to:

• Communication tools, including wellness forums and chat centers where you can interact with your coach and others who are taking advantage of virtual health coaching.
• Goal trackers and journals.
• A resource center with a health library, tips, links, and surveys chosen for you by your health coach.

How long can I use a health coach?

The standard coaching session lasts three months, starting on the date you register. However, some employers may offer longer coaching sessions (in three month increments). Check with your employer for details.